1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a PC (PCMCIA) Card for use with electronic equipment having PC card slots.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Most laptop computers contain two slots for PCMCIA Cards. The slots are located immediately adjacent to one another and each slot has a height of approximately 5 mm. The two slots will accommodate two PCMCIA 5 mm cards or a single PCMCIA 10.5 mm card. The PCMCIA cards are used to provide various types of add-on features in a laptop. Connection between the PCMCIA card and external devices, telephone network or Local Area Network (LAN) usually requires special extension cables. In the case of PCMCIA cards, special extension cables used for connecting a laptop to the telephone lines for Internet access or to connect the laptop to a LAN are subject to damage due to frequent use. Since such cables are unique to a particular manufacturer of PCMCIA card, users do not have immediate access to replacement cables in the event of loss or damage to these cables and can find themselves unable to connect to the external world without the cable. On the other hand, if there was a way to use standard telephone or LAN cables, users can replace lost or damaged cables very quickly due to wide availability of such cables from a number of sources. There exists a 3Com PCMCIA 5 mm card with an XJACK feature that allows the card to be connected to a telephone line using a standard telephone cable with modular telephone plugs, thus eliminating the need for a special extension cable. The disadvantage of this card, as shown in FIG. 1A is that when the card is located in one of the slots the telephone plug inserted into the XJACK could block access to the second card slot in the laptop computer. As can be seen from the side view of the card in FIG. 1A, an end of the card where the telephone plug is connected is extendable. When a telephone plug is not desired to be used with the card, the telephone connector can be pushed back inside the card as shown in FIG. 1B and the top view in FIG. 1C. When this PCMCIA card is to be connected to the telephone line, the user pops out the telephone connector and plugs a standard telephone cable into the extended telephone connectors shown in FIG. 1A. This card cannot be connected to a telephone connector in the pushed in position.
There also exists a XIRCOM 10.5 mm PCMCIA card that may be plugged into the bottom slot of a laptop computer. This card has one or more standard telephone jacks and LAN jack built into the card. Standard telephone and LAN cables can be used to connect this card to the outside world or to the Internet. This card has a disadvantage, as shown in FIG. 1D, in that the card uses up both slots of the laptop computer. It follows that this type of card cannot be used in laptops that have only a single 5 mm PCMCIA card slot. The Xircom card can best be seen in the top view of FIG. 1E and the side view of FIG. 1F.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a PCMCIA card with built-in standard telephone jacks and LAN jacks that can be used in two or more user selectable separate configurations overcoming the limitations of the prior art while providing the ability for direct connection to the telephone line or a LAN using standard cables.
A PCMCIA card is used in PCMCIA card slot of a laptop computer and a telephone line or LAN with standard cables. The PCMCIA card comprises two assemblies. A first assembly comprises electronic circuitry and a second assembly comprises connectors for external connections. The two assemblies are electrically connected to one another and are movable relative to one another. The card has a filly contracted positions a fully extended position and one or more intermediate positions. The card increases in length as the assemblies are extended relative to one another. The card is capable of being directly connected to a telephone line or LAN using standard cables while occupying one slot and not preventing access to or from a second slot.
A method of using a PCMCIA card that can be connected to a telephone line or LAN using standard cables in a corresponding slot of a laptop computer having two slots. The card has an extended position and the method comprises moving the card to the extended position and inserting the card into an upper slot of the two slots leaving a lower slot of the two slots accessible and plugging standard telephone line cable and LAN cable into the corresponding jacks that are built into the connector assembly.
In the extended position the connector assembly may protrude out of the laptop body. Because the depth of the PC Card slot varies from laptop to laptop, the PCMCIA card can be expanded to various lengths and locked in that position. This enables the protruding portion of the connector assembly to be fully outside the PC Card slot and yet remain flush against the body of the laptop.
The card has a contracted position and the method comprises moving the card to the fully contracted position and inserting the card into the bottom slot of the two slots and plugging standard telephone line cable and LAN cable into the corresponding jacks that are built into the connector assembly.
In the fully contracted position, the PCMCIA card is exactly the same length as a standard PCMCIA card and as such fits completely inside the PC Card slot of the laptop computer. In the fully contracted position the upper PCMCIA slot cannot be used.